landline telephone question

Rotary phones will work as long as you are served through a conventional copper network. The central office equipment is built to read the clicks that the phone generates as the dial rotates and translate that into numbers. If you take a look at your bill you will see a service called tty on it. This is the feature that allows you to use a touch tone phone. It translates the tone of the button you depress into the electrical signal needed by the CO equipment.

The network is being converted to a digital fiber optic fed system. I doubt the rotary phones will work once you are served on fiber.

Fun Fact: The system of rotary phones sending the signal and central office equipment understanding the signal and routing your call was invented by a guy who was extremely upset with his local operator. He automated the process and we no longer have operators connecting calls.